The best workout apps can help you get in shape and track your progress as you go.
Getting moving on your own can be challenging, but it can also be fun if you find something you enjoy. The good thing about workout apps is this: There are so many of them in app shops that there is something for everyone in a price range. That’s for sure. You can do something like lift weights, take a HIIT class, or get help while training for a race.
A list of the finest workout apps was compiled after evaluating lots of different fitness apps. There should be something there that suits your needs.
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Contents
- 1 The Best Workout Apps For 2024
- 1.1 8Fit: Best for Guidance and Instruction
- 1.2 Aaptiv: Best for Screenless Workouts
- 1.3 Apple Fitness Plus: Best Workout App for iPhone Users
- 1.4 Nike Training Club: Best App For Free Workouts
- 1.5 Blogilates: Best Free Calisthenics and Pilates Workouts
- 1.6 Centr: Best Workout App for Men
- 1.7 FitOn: Best for Searching Workouts by Time, Intensity, or Style
- 1.8 Peloton: Best Workout App for Exercise Bikers and Treadmill Users
- 1.9 Sweat: Best For Women
- 1.10 Strava: Best Workout App For Runners
- 2 What is the best workout app?
- 3 Protect Your Privacy and Data While Using Workout App
- 4 FAQs
The Best Workout Apps For 2024
8Fit: Best for Guidance and Instruction
SPECIFICATIONS | Price: $24.99 Per Month |
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8Fit brings together workouts that you can do whenever you want with food planning. This is one of the best workout apps for people who like to be told what to do all the time.
Depending on the goal you set, the app makes a custom plan for your food and exercise. Following your fitness goal, 8Fit will have you work out to videos in the app, keep track of what you eat, and make meal plans with recipes and shopping lists.
You can only do a few workouts in the free version, and you have to look at and tap the screen a lot. That’s not good. The free app also lets you keep track of your weight and hobbies.
The Pro version is better because it lets you make your meals, make shopping plans, track your calories, get advice on what foods to avoid, join weekly classes, and do more workouts. The price per Month is too high, so wait to sign up for it. However, the prices for six-month and yearly plans are reasonable. The Pro plan costs $79 a year, $39 every three months, or $24.99 a month.
Aaptiv: Best for Screenless Workouts
SPECIFICATIONS | Price: $14.99 Per Month |
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Aaptiv focuses on audio-based workouts with trainers, so you can work out without having to look at or touch a computer. You are being told what to do while music plays in the background. You can connect to your Spotify account or pick a style of music from the app’s list.
The app offers workouts that are right for you based on the details you give it, like what kinds of exercise you like (yoga, stretching, strength training, indoor cycling, outdoor running, stair climbing, and other things) and what kinds of music you like. You can try the online app for free for seven days, but you’ll need to provide a credit card. The regular price is $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, but there were big price cuts the last time we looked.
Apple Fitness Plus: Best Workout App for iPhone Users
Specification | Price: $9.99 per Month |
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Apple Fitness Plus is a great app for Apple users who want to work out. HIIT, strength, core, yoga, Pilates, and meditation classes are just a few available workouts. Teachers teach these classes as well. We also liked that there were two teachers in the background during classes, showing beginners how to do things and people who wanted to push themselves harder. This was especially helpful since you can’t choose which classes to take based on how hard they are.
It can be hard to figure out what classes to go to at first glance, but you can narrow it down by trainer, time, and music. You can also add classes to your library. This makes it easy to quickly find classes you’ve already taken or want to take in the future.
In this case, if you wear one of the best Apple Watches, you will be able to see your workout numbers on the screen. After an update in 2022, you no longer need to wear an Apple Watch to access Apple Exercise Plus classes. You can still access thousands of exercise classes that you can do at home or in the gym, even if you don’t wear a watch.
We gave the Apple Fitness Plus app the best workout app of the year award in 2023. It has a huge library of workouts and works well with both the iPhone and the Apple Watch. How often Apple adds new workouts to the platform to keep people from getting bored was also something we liked.
Nike Training Club: Best App For Free Workouts
Specification | Price: Free |
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Nike encouraged people to stay fit while staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 by making the Nike Training Club app Content for 90 days. Since then, the app has been free for everyone to use. Unlike some of the other apps on this list, there is no longer a paid version.
But Nike took away some of their training classes with the update. These used to be a popular part of the app. You can now sort workouts by devices, workout goals (like endurance, mobility, strength, or yoga), and muscle groups (like abs and core, arms and shoulders, or glutes and legs). You can also sort the results by length, level, and intensity.
During testing, we liked the instructor-led workouts because they kept us interested and motivated. We also liked the paper workouts because they let you follow along at your own pace. Another choice is to link the workout to your Apple Music. There are some bugs, but this is a free game that has a lot to offer.
Blogilates: Best Free Calisthenics and Pilates Workouts
Specification | Price: $3.99 Per Month |
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Both the Apple App Store and Google Play have it listed as Body by Blogilates. Blogilates is, without a doubt, one of the best workout apps for free. There is a paid level of service, but you don’t have to have it. We like that you don’t have to make an account to use the workouts. This keeps your privacy safe. Blogilates has workout videos with the always-positive Cassey Ho.
During her tough practices, she sweats and suffers with you. Some of the workouts are more like Pilates and calisthenics, but some mix jogging and weights. For free, you can join challenges and try to finish a set of workouts over a few days. You can also find healthy meals and do other things.
There is a lot of free material out there, and Blogilates is by far one of the best free workout apps. If you love the app and want to get more out of it, you can pay for a subscription. As long as you pay $3.99 a month or $39.99 a year for a Workout Pass, you can use the Workout Calendar and all of the tasks and programs.
All-Access Pass costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year and lets you set goals, write down your daily progress, keep track of how much water you drink, and keep a visual food tracker.
Centr: Best Workout App for Men
Specification | Price: $29.99 per Month |
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If you’re looking for a workout plan, there is no better one than the one Thor likes. There is an app called Centr that aims to improve your physical and mental health by combining exercise with food planning and mindfulness. Actor Chris Hemsworth has backed it.
The Centr has daily workout videos that you can do at home or in the gym. The videos cover a wide range of fitness styles, such as HIIT, strength training, boxing, yoga, and Pilates. With meal plans, you can find tasty and healthy foods. Guided meditations and sleep tips will help you get in the right frame of mind.
We liked that the app had a lot of different classes while we were trying it, but we wished we could play our music during classes. We want to download workouts to use when the gym’s WiFi isn’t working.
Centr offers a free trial for seven days, and monthly membership costs $29.99. But you should consider signing up for a year at a time, which will save you a lot of money and bring the monthly price down to just $10.
FitOn: Best for Searching Workouts by Time, Intensity, or Style
Specification | Price: $79.99 for Six Months |
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Another one of the best workout apps is FitOn. Trainers lead video-based workouts that you can watch whenever you want. A lot of the exercises are free. A lot of different types of workouts are available, so you can find one that fits your needs and time constraints. Some examples are yoga, butts and legs, abs, stretching, and more. You can see your heart rate on the screen as you move if you wear a connected heart rate monitor while you work out. There’s also a ranking where you and your friends or other members can try to be the best.
FitOn gives you a lot for free, like all the video workouts. There is a Pro account that you can pay for if you want more, like personalized meal plans and the ability to connect to Fitbit or Garmin. But don’t pay the stated price of $79.99 for six months or $99.99 for a year. Always keep an eye out for sales that can lower the price by a lot.
Peloton: Best Workout App for Exercise Bikers and Treadmill Users
Specification | Price: Free, $12.99, or $24.99 per Month |
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To stay in shape, the Peloton workout app is the next best thing if you can’t buy a Peloton bike or Tread. There are a lot of engaging classes that you can take to get stronger and toned and that Peloton buzz. The teachers are really excited, which makes them stand out from the rest. You can also join live classes and fight with your friends.
Being able to test this app and do everything from strength training to yoga to HIIT exercise kept us from getting bored. It’s great that you can “stack” classes together. This lets you add more than one class at once, so you can easily add a cool-down or stretch to your workout. While the classes are easy to follow on a phone or computer, we think that streaming the workouts on TV is the best way to get the most out of Peloton.
You can get more classes in the Peloton plans, which will help you reach your goal, whether it’s to get stronger or to “crush your core” in four weeks. Plus, different groups of workouts make it easy to find a variety of workouts based on type, like strength training for runners, resistance band workouts, or Pilates classes.
You can get the most out of Peloton if you have access to one of the best exercise bikes or the best treadmills for the bike and tread classes. But even if you don’t, this is a great workout app with some of the most inspiring teachers out there.
Peloton released three new app-only membership choices in May 2023. These were Peloton App Free, which is free; Peloton App One, which costs $12.99/Month; and Peloton App+, which costs $24/Month. Members of App One can do muscle training and floor exercises. Members of App+ can take cardio classes. Find out more about the different types of Peloton Gym memberships and workouts here.
Sweat: Best For Women
Specification | Price: $19.99 monthly |
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Australian personal trainer Kayla Itsines created sweat. It began in 2015 as a set of downloadable “Bikini Body Guides” and has since grown into a full-fledged training app with many programs and recipes to help you reach your goals. There is an organized program for every woman, from the new mom who wants to get in shape for the first time after giving birth to the girl who wants to feel more comfortable using the weights at the gym.
Aside from Kayla, trainers like Kelsey Wells, Chontel Duncan, Britany Williams, and Stephanie Sanzo also work with her. You can easily switch programs and take classes whenever you want if you want to add a barre class here and there. You can also use the workouts with an Apple Watch. There is no free version of the app, but new users can get a free sample for seven days.
We liked that the app had a lot of different workouts, but it was annoying to have to bend down and physically skip between exercises. It wasn’t enough to stop us from using the app regularly, though. We also think this app is mostly for women, but guys could definitely use the workout plans.
Strava: Best Workout App For Runners
Specification | Price: Free, $5 per Month or $59.99 per year. |
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One of the greatest apps for running, Strava lets runners, bikers, and walkers track their progress with a free and paid subscription. Despite its reputation as a running and cycling app, it tracks 31 sports. Hiking, canoeing, E-Bike riding, rowing, alpine skiing, swimming, SUP, and yoga are included.
Strava is a progress monitoring app, not an exercise program like other applications on our list.
The free app is great, but the subscription edition lets users use Strava’s Routes tool, which suggests routes based on where other runners in your region have run, segments, advanced performance analytics, and training plans.
Strava supports Wear OS, Apple Watch, and other running trackers. (If in restricted regions, turn off location tracking. Strava Beacon lets friends and family track your live location on the run, keeping you safe.
What is the best workout app?
The best workout apps for you cover your desired workouts at an easy level. A decent fitness app should allow for many levels of competence, so you may challenge yourself as you get fitter and more comfortable.
Some fitness apps are free, but most require a subscription. Use any trial period and then subscribe monthly to evaluate if the app fulfills your needs. If you enjoy what you see, you may switch to an annual subscription, which cuts monthly costs.
If you like to switch up your workouts, seek a well-rounded workout software with a variety of programs to suit your mood and prevent you from regretting your monthly subscription.
Several of our top fitness apps log exercise data. Attention iPhone users: Pay careful attention to apps that connect with the Health app.
Protect Your Privacy and Data While Using Workout App
Remember that some apps, even Fitness apps, can be harmful. Before downloading, you should always think about your safety and privacy. Even though we tried all of the apps on this list and are sure they are safe, there are so many fitness apps out there that it’s easy for a bad one to get lost among the good ones.
Watch out for what you download and what apps ask for about you. Also, make sure you check the app’s privacy settings before you start working out. Some apps, for example, will share your running routes online. If that information gets into the wrong hands, it could quickly become a nightmare for you.
If an app starts an in-app browser and asks you to enter information there, you should probably think twice. In fact, our security analyst says you shouldn’t enter anything there at all. Those websites inside apps can keep track of everything you do. Go to the website you need in your browser, or think about whether you really need to use the app at all.
Taking a few easy steps to keep your information safe is always better than having to deal with an internet crime after it’s happened.
FAQs
How can I find the best free workouts on YouTube?
Not ready to pay for an app? You can try out a lot of free workouts on YouTube. Still trying to figure us out? Some people want to get the gym body of their dreams, so our fitness team has been putting them to the test.
Can you really work out with an app?
The best workout apps let you work out completely from anywhere. These days, a lot of apps are immersive and involved, so you can feel like you’re in the studio from home.